Ergonomic keyboard apparatus and method of using same

ABSTRACT

A keyboard arrangement with a pair of angularly disposed, spaced apart groups of character keys dedicated for operating use respectively by the left hand and the right hand of a user. A space bar key is operable by either thumb of the user and bridges between the two groups of character keys. The rows of keys in each group are staggered, and each key bears character indicia disposed at an angle to the transverse direction of its group of keys.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/091,811, filed on Jul.13, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,441; which is a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 07/990,022, filed on Dec. 14, 1992, now U.S. Pat.No. 5,302,040.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates in general to a keyboard apparatus and amethod of using it. The invention more particularly relates to keyboardapparatus and method for entering information to reduce or to eliminaterepetitive motion injuries to the user.

BACKGROUND

Many improvements have been made in devices and machines for data andword processing. For example, many years ago, the manual typewriter wasreplaced with the electric typewriter, and the electric typewriter hasbeen, nearly replaced with more sophisticated, computer equipment. Yet,notwithstanding the enormous strides that have been made in improvingsuch equipment, the keyboard, which is the basic interface between themachine and the user has remained relatively unchanged. Theinconsistency between the vastly improved computer equipment, ascompared to the keyboard itself, has been the result of keyboarddesigners ignoring the physiological structure of the typical user.

More particularly, users, independently of the information being enteredvia the keyboard, all enter information by manipulating the keyboard insubstantially a similar manner. However, the configuration of theconventional keyboard is somewhat incompatible with the physiologicalstructure of the hands, fingers and arms of the user.

This incompatibility causes the hand, finger and wrist movements of theuser operator to be somewhat strained, slowed, and even sometimesmisdirected, resulting in not only unwanted and undesired physicalstress on the operator, but also in undesired fatigue with resultingentry errors. The results of such repetitive stress and errors can causeunwanted loss in time for correcting the errors, as well as a loss inproductivity through stress related injuries suffered by the keyboardoperator. Such injuries may be severe enough to render the individualunemployable.

With respect to stress injuries, repetitive stroking of an incompatiblekeyboard is well known to stress the wrists, elbows and shoulders of anoperator. Such repetitive stress when continued over long periods oftime, can lead to repetitive stress injuries, such as carpal tunnelsyndrome, which is a painful and oftentimes a crippling ailmentaffecting the tendons and nerves in the person's wrist area. It shouldbe understood that carpal tunnel syndrome is only one of severalmusculoskeletal injuries, frequently being identified variously ascumulative trauma disorder, repetitive strain injury, as well asrepetitive motion disorder.

Thus, strained repetitive use of one's hands and fingers can result inswelling causing the tendons to press painfully on the nerves in theperson's wrist area. Moreover, if the swelling continues over aprotracted period of time, permanent damage to the nerves may result,thereby causing the afflicted person to lose or at least to reducegreatly, his or her ability to grip objects or even the use of theirhands. Thus, such injuries not only can cause lost productivity, butalso can cause an increase in worker compensation insurance rates, sincesuch insurance is maintained by employers.

In the case where cumulative trauma disorder is caused by the use of akeyboard, the injury may be caused by the inwardly flexing of the wriststo enable the fingers to be positioned properly to reach the keys of thekeyboard. Such flexion of the wrists can cause the unwanted, painfulpressing of the tendons on the nerves. Through long periods of time ofkeyboard entry in such an awkward and stressful position, the dreadfulmalady can result.

Because of the debilitating effect of carpal tunnel syndrome and othersuch repetitive stress injuries, resulting from keyboard entry forextended periods of time, there has been a long felt need for a keyboardarrangement which would reduce, if not substantially eliminate, suchserious physical impairments. Therefore, it would be highly desirable tohave a new and improved keyboard arrangement for facilitating keyboardentry in a more relaxed, reduced-stress manner. Such an arrangementshould substantially reduce, if not completely eliminate, excessivemusculoskeletal fatigue and stress, such an arrangement should eliminateor at least reduce greatly, cumulative trauma disorder, such as carpaltunnel syndrome and the like.

In view of this long felt need, there have been many attempts to improveand correct the deficiencies of well known keyboard arrangements. Forexample, reference may be made to the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:4,824,268; 4,669,903; 4,509,873; 4,483,634; 4201,409; 4,081,068;4,661,005; 4,597,681; 3,929,216; 2,318,519; 1,828,939; 1,687,904; and1,089,689.

One such attempt at helping to reduce carpal tunnel syndrome isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,005 which shows a pair of keyboardsmounted slidably on a stationary bar and separable into two spaced apartareas. Each keyboard is also mounted pivotally to permit a downwardpivoting of the keyboards relative to a longitudinal plane.

From the foregoing it appears that it would be difficult, if notimpossible, for an operator to pivot each section of the keyboardarrangement downwardly at precisely the same angle; thus, resulting inthe wrists of the operator being flexed at different angles.Additionally, separating the keyboards at a sufficient distance to avoidflexure of a user's wrists and hands would substantially disrupt thenormal hand to eye coordination facilities of the user which isabsolutely necessary for rapid and accurate information entry operationsvia a keyboard terminal. Moreover, the above-mentioned adjustments wouldneed to be made by each user of the keyboard resulting in reducedproductivity as each user would take valuable production time to makehis or her own personal adjustments to the keyboard arrangement.Finally, it should also be noted that while the separating and pivotingof the keyboard sections may help relieve a user's discomfort suchadjustments may, in fact, be physically improper even though thekeyboard placement may feel good to the user. Thus, the separatekeyboards are less than satisfactory in substantially reducingcumulative trauma disorder.

Another attempt directed at reducing cumulative trauma disorder isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,681 which discloses an adjustablekeyboard arrangement divided laterally into two sections. Eachindividual section is adjustable about each of two mutually angulatedaxes so as to change the planes of the sections relative to a supportbase, and to allow each section to be angularly shifted in its ownplane. The keys in each section are also mounted for individualadjustment angularly, laterally and in height.

Thus, in the Pat. No. 4,597,681, the keyboard construction disclosedtherein may lend itself to permitting individual adjustment for morecomfortable use, by accommodating the arms, hands and fingers of anoperator. However, the patented keyboard arrangement is very expensiveto manufacture and awkward to use. In this regard, the axes of angularshift, make it difficult for an operator to visualize clearly eachindividual character key. Thus, while this keyboard arrangement may tendto help reduce physical stress, it would be a difficult and timeconsuming process to learn to use this type of keyboard arrangement. Inthis regard, before a skilled operator can attempt to input informationat the same speed as a conventional keyboard, the unique and verydifferent shape and configuration of the patented adjustable keyboardrequire new skills to be learned. In short, while the adjustablepatented keyboard may be designed to overcome some physically disablingproblems, a skilled use would require an undesirably long period oftraining, and may never be able to regain former speed and accuracy.Moreover, as this keyboard arrangement requires individual adjustments,all of the problems noted with respect to the other patents mentionedabove would also apply to this keyboard arrangement.

Still yet another attempted solution is a shorthand typewriting machinekeyboard disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,318,519 where the keys are dividedinto two groupings or sections disposed at an angle relative to oneanother to help orient the hands of an operator in proper alignment withthe keys. While this arrangement is ideal for the proper orientation ofthe hands of a shorthand machine operator, the keyboard constructionwould not prove satisfactory for use in a modern keyboard, such as theones used with computers, because the unconventional orientation of theindividual keys make it difficult for a skilled keyboard entry person touse efficiently such a keyboard without additional expensive and timeconsuming training. In this regard, such a shorthand keyboard is, ofcourse, totally different from a computer keyboard.

While each of the above mentioned keyboard arrangements may claim toreduce cumulative trauma disorder, each one would not be satisfactoryfor use by a highly skilled keyboard entry person. In this regard, manyskilled persons earn their living by fast and accurate keyboard entry.Thus, if a keyboard does help in the prevention of repetitive injuries,such a keyboard would not at all be useful to a person who could not useit at a sufficiently high rate of speed to meet employment requirements.Also, long, arduous training is not at all desirable, and can totallypreclude its use, even though the prior known keyboards may be useful inpreventing injuries. In short, even though a keyboard may preventinjuries, it may not be useful at all, if it can not be operated quicklyand easily, with little or no training. With such a keyboard entrymethod, the entry speed of the operator can be greatly improved over a"hunt and peck" typing technique. However, mastering the touch typingtechnique, requires many hours of extensive training. While suchtraining is relatively tedious and time consuming, trainees are willingto expend their time and efforts, because at higher entry or typingspeeds, the greater the amount of income that can be earned by theoperator at a place of employment.

Mastering the touch typing technique is time consuming, because theoperator must first memorize the location of each of the keys and theirassociated control keys. Then, following this memorization, the operatormust master complex key stroking patterns by repetitive practice.

In order to master touch typing, after the key locations are memorized,specific finger placements must be mastered. In this regard, the fingersof the right and left hands are placed on specific keys of a middle rowof characters keys. The fingers of the left hand are positioned on thecharacter keys A, S, D, and F, while the fingers of the right hand areplaced on the character keys. J, K, L and ;. The fingers of the rightand left hands move from these "home or resting positions" to strike theother keys. In this regard, the fingers on the left hand operate thefollowing keys:

    ______________________________________             1       2     3         4   5             CHARACTERS    ______________________________________    1          1         2     3       4   5    2          Q         W     E       R   T    3          A         S     D       F   G    4          Z         X     C       V   B    ______________________________________

The fingers on the right hand operate the following keys:

    ______________________________________    COLUMNS    6         7     8       9   10    ROWS       CHARACTER    ______________________________________    1          6         7     8       9   0    2          Y         U     I       O   P    3          H         J     K       L   ;    4          N         M     ,       .   ?    ______________________________________

The trainee must therefore learn, not only the location of each key, butalso must learn the stroking technique for which each key is to beactuated on a finger by finger basis. In order to understand whichfinger is assigned which key, the finger to key relationship for theleft hand is as follows:

    ______________________________________           LITTLE    THIRD      MIDDLE  INDEX           FINGER    FINGER     FINGER  FINGER    ROWS   (L)       (L)        (L)     (L)    ______________________________________    1      1         2          3       4, 5    2      Q         W          E       R, T    3      A         S          D       F, G    4      Z         X          C       V, B    ______________________________________

The finger to key relationship for the right hand is as follows:

    ______________________________________           INDEX     MIDDLE     THIRD   LITTLE           FINGER    FINGER     FINGER  FINGER    ROWS   (R)       (R)        (R)     (R)    ______________________________________    1      6, 7      8          9       0    2      Y, U      I          O       P    3      H, J      K          L       ;    4      N, M      ,          .       ?    ______________________________________

Based on the foregoing, it is apparent that the individual fingers of auser start on different home keys and then travel quickly andinstinctively to a plurality of different positions. For example, theindex finger of each hand must travel from a rest position to sevendifferent keys. Training the fingers to move from the home keys to thetarget keys, and then back again, requires practice repeatedly, untilthe fingers move instinctively from key to key in an extremely rapid andaccurate manner.

Thus, the touch typing technique requires trainees to learn the complexstroking patterns associated with moving their fingers across thekeyboard in a rapid accurate manner, until an acceptable level of entryspeed can be achieved with few or no errors in an instinctive manner.Unfortunately, because of musculoskeletal physical stress on thefingers, hands, waists, arms, neck, shoulders and back of the personexecuting the strokes, entry speed is generally limited to no more thanthree to five strokes a second, even after lengthy training.

Like riding a bicycle, once a person learns the complex keystrokepatterns of touch typing, the patterns remain fixed in the reflex memoryof the typist. Such a trained person can easily repeat the rapid firefinger movements in an instinctive manner, even after extended periodsof not using the technique. In this regard, it should be recognized thatsince the fingers of a user are trained to move in unique patterns, theslightest deviation from that pattern of key strokes, will seriouslydegrade the training of the keyboard operator so that he or she maynever be able to attain the same high rate of entry speed usingconventional touch typing key strokes.

Therefore, it is absolutely clear that anyone who has mastered the artof touch typing, would have an extremely difficult, if not impossibletime, in attempting to do keyboard entry on any one of the prior knownstress-relieving keyboards, such as the aforementioned patentedkeyboards. In this regard, when positioning the fingers on theunfamiliar, distinctive prior known keyboards, the fingers would beunable to perform instinctively as previously trained, due to thedifferent spatial arrangement of keys. Thus, the familiar ingrainedtraining must be unlearned, and a whole new key stroke pattern would berequired. Such an arduous and time consuming training process isunwanted and undesirable. Also, it may be completely impossible for aperson to achieve his or her previous finger speed and accuracy.

Thus, if a person is unable to do keyboard entry at a sufficiently highrate of speed with acceptable accuracy, then the livelihood of such aperson may be at risk. The employer normally demands a certain level ofproficiency, before a keyboard entry person will be hired. Also, fromthe perspective of an employer, a keyboard will not be used if it slowsdown the operator to a point where productivity is not satisfactory.Thus, even if a keyboard may somehow reduce physical stress on theoperator, it will not at all be useful or acceptable if the speed andaccuracy of the operator is severely impaired.

Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a new and improvedkeyboard arrangement that permits a user/operator to enter informationrapidly and conveniently in an extremely fast and accurate manner. Inthis regard, the user/operator should be able to enter information asrapidly as when using a conventional keyboard arrangement, and shouldnot be required to undergo extensive and time consuming training inorder to use the keyboard arrangement in a rapid data entry manner.

An early design of a mechanical typewriter keyboard is disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 1,138,474. In this patent, there is recognition of thestressful position that must be assumed by the forearms, wrists andhands of a keyboard operator. The patent therefore disclosed a keyboardthat has separated groups of keys in an attempt to preclude the hands ofthe user being twisted. While a keyboard having this type arrangementwould result in less strain upon the abducent muscles, it is alsoapparent that such a keyboard arrangement could not be used by a modernday word processing or data entry person in a rapid and efficientmanner. In short, one could certainly not use familiar touch typingtechniques on such a typewriter. In this regard, a data entry person hasyears of training so that finger to keypad movements are accomplishedinstinctively and accurately. Thus, if the fingers of the user arepositioned in the usual four finger groupings as is well known in thetouch typing technique, it is apparent numerous errors would occur. Moreparticularly, as the fingers move from their rest position to designatedtarget keys, the target key would be misplaced and thus, the key wouldeither be completely missed, struck simultaneously with another key, orhit other than at its center pad location. Thus, in order for a skilledperson to use such an arrangement, they would necessarily need to learna substantially different typing technique with numerous modificationsto the conventional finger to key stroking maneuvers executed accordingto conventional touch type techniques.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Therefore the principal object of the present invention is to provide anew and improved keyboard arrangement and method of using it, to notonly relieve unwanted physical stress, but also to enable a skilled userto do keyboard entry at a high rate of speed with an acceptable degreeof accuracy.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a new andimproved keyboard arrangement and method of using it, so as to enable atouch typist to learn to use such a keyboard arrangement and method,with little or no training. Still another object of the presentinvention is to provide such a new and improved keyboard arrangementthat is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Briefly the above and other objects and features of the presentinvention are provided in a new and improved keyboard apparatus havingtwo spaced apart clusters or groups of character keys. Each cluster orgroup is configured in an elongated rectangularly shaped arrangement.The clusters or groups are angularly displaced between their transversedimensions by an angle θ of about 31° to about 36°. Each group ofcharacter keys is arranged in a series of spaced apart staggered rows ofdiscrete character keys and includes a common V-shaped space bar keybridging the two clusters. In order to facilitate easy recognition ofthe function of each of the character keys, character indicia isdisposed on the top surface of selected ones of the keys and isangularly displaced thereon by an angle of about θ/2.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above mentioned and other objects and features of this-invention andthe manner of attaining them will become apparent, and the inventionitself will be best understood by reference to the following descriptionof the embodiment of the invention in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a keyboard apparatus which is constructedin accordance with the present invention, showing in phantom line thekeyboard apparatus disposed at a different location on the supportingsurface;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the keyboard apparatus ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of another keyboard apparatus, which is alsoconstructed in accordance with the present invention shown with akeyboard cradle also being constructed according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the keyboard apparatus and keyboard cradleunit of FIG. 3 taken substantially on lines 4--4 thereof;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the keyboard apparatus of FIG. 1showing the angular relationship between individual character keys andcharacter key groupings; and

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a keyboard apparatus which is constructedin accordance with the present invention, showing in phantom line thekeyboard apparatus disposed at a different location on the supportingdevice.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2thereof, there is shown an ergonomic keyboard apparatus 10, which isconstructed in accordance with the present invention and which isillustrated positioned on a stationary surface, such as a work stationsurface 12.

The keyboard apparatus 10 generally comprises a housing unit 13 (FIG. 2)which is adapted for positioning on the surface 12. The keyboardapparatus 10 also includes a set of character keys projecting upwardlyfrom a face plate 18.

The character keys are arranged in a pair of spaced apart character keygroupings 14 and 16 where each grouping includes a large number ofsingle discrete keys for producing and controlling the entry ofalphanumeric characters into a computer or other such equipment (notshown). As will be explained hereinafter in greater detail, the twogroupings 14 and 16 are disposed at an angle θ relative to one another,as indicated in FIG. 5, to relieve physical stress of the user.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the key groupings 14 and 16 are coplanarand completely spaced apart by a space 15 having an irregular pentagularshape. The shape of the space 15 is so arranged to help an experiencedtouch typist utilize the keyboard apparatus 10 with substantially thesame touch typing keystroke techniques as he or she would use on aconventional QWERTY type keyboard arrangement.

Considering now the operation of the keyboard apparatus 10 in greaterdetail, a user operates the apparatus 10 by the familiar touch typingtechnique, and thus can perform data and character entry operations in afast and accurate manner. In this regard, the character keys in the leftgrouping 14 of keys are arranged to facilitate familiar touch typingtechniques for the left hand. Similarly the keys of the right grouping16 are arranged to facilitate touch typing techniques for the righthand. Because the character keys are arranged according to a key groupto finger type arrangement, there is no need for a user to makekeystrokes from one grouping of character keys to the other grouping ofcharacter keys.

In operation, a user commences using the keyboard apparatus 10 byplacing his or her fingers in a manner similar to familiar touch typingtechniques. The user then adjusts the keyboard housing 13 a sufficientdistance from the edge of the work station 12 so that his or her wristsand hands are maintained in a straight and aligned relationship to oneanother to orient the keyboard in a position for comfortable andphysiologically safe operation by the user. The user then presses thecharacter keys in seriatim. In this regard, whenever the user depressesone of the character keys, an electrical signal is generated by thekeyboard electronics (not shown) which is indicative of a character codethat is based on the American Standard Code for Information Interchange(ASCII). ASCII codes are well known to those skilled in the art andconsist of 7-bit coded characters used for information exchange betweendata processing systems, data communication systems and associatedequipment. More particularly, the ASCII set consists of controlcharacters and alphanumeric characters for producing a written language.

Although in the preferred form of the present invention the depressionof the individual character keys produces an ASCII code, it will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that other codes or other means,such as mechanical linkages as used in mechanical typewriters could beutilized for causing a written language to be produced in response to auser depressing the character keys in seriatim.

Considering now the housing 13 in greater detail with reference to FIGS.1 and 5, the housing 13 in generally V shaped, and includes a generallyrectangular or elongated shaped left section 50, and a generallyrectangular or elongated shaped right section 51. The character keys inthe left section 50 are disposed at an angle θ relative the rightsection 51, where the angle θ is between the transverse dimensions ofthe two groupings 14 and 16. The angle θ is at about 26° to 36°. A morepreferred angle θ is at about 31° to 36°; and the most preferred angle θis about 31°. The angle θ between the groupings 14 and 16 enable thehands and wrists of the user to be aligned coextensively thus reducing,if not substantially eliminating physical stress on the hands, wrists,arms, shoulders and back muscles of the user.

As best seen in FIG. 5, the left grouping 14 generally comprises a setof character keys 100-126 (FIG. 1) that are mounted substantially withinan area of the housing 13 defined by a left side transverse line 40disposed parallel and spaced apart from the left edge 13L portion of thehousing 13, a right side transverse line 42 disposed parallel and spacedapart from the line 40 and a pair of parallel spaced apart longitudinalline 44, 46 extending perpendicularly between the lines 40 and 42respectively.

In a similar manner, the right grouping 16 generally comprises a set ofcharacters keys 127-158 that are mounted substantially within an area ofthe housing 13 defined by a right side transverse line 41 disposedparallel and spaced apart from the right edge 13R portion of the housing13, a left side transverse line 43 disposed parallel and spaced apartfrom the line 41, and a pair of parallel spaced apart longitudinal lines45 and 47 extending perpendicularly between the lines 41 and 43.

As best seen in FIG. 5, the longitudinal lines 46 and 47 terminate atthe transverse lines 42 and 43 respectively and are spaced apart fromtheir terminal ends by about one-half the width of a character key, suchas the character key 146. In this regard, character key 146 is astandard width character key utilized for conventional QWERTY typesquare keys and is generally about three-fourths inches in width andthree-fourths inches in length. From the foregoing it should beunderstood that lines 46 and 47 are spaced apart by about three-eighthsof an inch.

As best illustrated in FIG. 5, the right side transverse line 42 and theleft side transverse line 43 converge together to form the angle θ.

As best seen in FIG. 5, selected ones of the character keys includecharacter indica, such as a character indicia 146 and 203 to helpfacilitate easy recognition of the individual character keys. Thecharacter indica, such as indicia 146 is angularly disposed along thetransverse dimension of the grouping rotated by a sufficient angle θ/2to facilitate easy recognition of the character indica. Thus, a user mayquickly and easily place his or her fingers on the familiar keysutilized in touch typing techniques.

Considering now the left grouping 14 of the character keys 100-126 ingreater detail, the character keys 100-123 are generally rectangular inshape and are arranged in four staggered rows A-D with a fifth row Ededicated to selected function keys 124-126. A space bar key 159 isdisposed intermediate the left grouping 14 and the right grouping 16.The configuration or arrangement of the keys 100-123 are substantiallysimilar to part of a conventional QWERTY keyboard layout as will beexplained hereinafter in greater detail.

The character keys 100, 106, 112, 118 and 124 are aligned along theirleft side edges in a transverse column along line 40 (FIG. 5). Characterkey 100 is substantially similar in size and shape as keys 101-105,where keys 100-105 are distinguishable from one another by characterindicia, disposed on the top surface of each key such as a characterindicia 202 disposed on key 112.

As best seen in FIG. 1, character key 106 is approximately 20% widerthan character key 100, character key 112 is approximately 50% widerthan character key 100, and character key 118 is approximately twice thewidth of character key 106. Due to the increasing size differencebetween character keys 100, 106, 112, and 118, the character rows A, B,C and D are staggered from one another.

In order to permit a user to easily and conveniently read the characterindicia disposed on each key, such as indicia 202, the indicia disposedon the top surface of each of the character keys is canted or skewed atan angle θ/2 along the transverse dimension of the grouping 14. In thisregard, the character indicia is disposed in more familiar touch typingorientation to facilitate easy recognition by a user of the keyboard. Itshould be understood that such canting or skewing is made possible bythe rectangular shape of the individual keys. Stated otherwise, if thekeys were circular in shape, it would not be possible to cant or skewthe indicia in relationship to the keys.

The character keys 100-126 also contain character indicia includingfunction indicia that corresponds to the characters produced by a usermanipulating the left hand digits in a familiar touch typing technique.

Considering now the right grouping 16 of the character keys 127-158 ingreater detail, the character keys 127-158 are arranged in four straightlongitudinal rows A' to D' with a fifth row E' dedicated to selectedfunction keys 155 to 158. The rows A' to E' correspond to rows A to E inthe left grouping 14. The character keys in grouping 16 are arranged instaggered rows and columns to enable a user to employ standard QWERTYkeyboard touch typing keystrokes without the need of learning new keypositions. In this regard, an experienced touch typist is able tomaintain his or her typing speed.

The character keys 134, 142, 149, 155 and 158 are aligned along theirright side edges in a transverse column along phantom line 41 (FIG. 5).The character keys in grouping 16 are also arranged in columns, withstaggered rows. In this preferred form of the present invention, thecharacter keys 127-158 include the character indicia including functionindicia corresponding to the characters produced by the manipulation ofthe right hand digits of the user during touch typing techniques.

In order to permit a user to easily and conveniently read the characterindicia disposed on the top surface of the character keys in the rightgrouping 16, the character indicia thereon, such as indicia 204 iscanted by an angle θ/2 along the transverse dimension of the grouping16. Such canting or skewing is described in greater detail withreference to grouping 14.

Although in the preferred form of the present invention, the numeric key127 is shown in the right grouping 16, it is contemplated within thescope of the present invention that key 127 may be placed in row Aadjacent to key 105. While this positioning of the key 127 in row Awould result in a finger to grouping incongruity, one skilled in the artwould understand that a person skilled in touch typing techniques wouldneed only to learn one modified keystroke relative to standard touchtyping techniques. Instead of reaching the index finger of the righthand to a numeric key such as the key 128 that is immediately adjacentto a numeric key 127, the typist would need to extend his or her fingerstretch with the right index finger for a numeric key adjacent to key105 that is only a slightly further distance. In this regard, becausethe repositioned numeric key would be so closely positioned relative tothe key 128, the modified stroking motion would be substantially thesame as used in familiar touch typing techniques. Thus, a skilledoperator could easily master the keyboard apparatus 10 and secure thesame or greater data entry speed with fewer errors due to relativepositions of the grouping 12 and 14 which help aligning the hand andwrist disposed on each respective arm of a user.

Considering now the space bar key 159 in greater detail, the space bar159 is generally V-shaped and extends between or bridges the two keygrouping 14 and 16. The space bar key 159 includes a left leg portion159L and a right leg portion 159R. The left leg portion 159L and theright leg portion 159R are integrally joined together at a apex havingan angle γ. The angle γ is about five times the angle θ. In this regard,the angle γ is between about 154° and about 144°. A more preferred angleγ is between about 149° and about 144°; and a most preferred angle γ isabout 149°. The left leg portion 159L is directly below and adjacent tokeys 121 to 123, while the right leg portion 159R is directly below andadjacent to keys 150 to 152. In the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, key 159 functions as a conventional single space bar key. Inthis regard, although only a single space bar is shown in the preferredembodiment, it should be understood by one skilled in the art that thespace bar key 159 could be divided into two separate keys, oneassociated with the left grouping 14 and the other associated with theright grouping 16.

Considering now the operation of the keyboard apparatus 10 in stillgreater detail, a skilled touch typist user (not shown) positions his orher hands in a normal touch typing position relative to the keyboardapparatus 10 for the purpose of entering character data. In this regard,the user positions his or her left hand in co-extending alignment withhis or her left wrist and forearm allowing the forearm to rest on thesupport surface 12. Depending on the weight of the user or the length ofthe users arms, the user adjusts the position of the keyboard apparatus10 on the stationary surface 12 so that the fingers of the user restcomfortably on the normal starting position keys for a touch typist.

Once the user has adjusted the keyboard placement, the finger to keyplacement is made by the user so that the wrists of the user stay inco-extended alignment with the hands of the user relative to thestarting position. Should the user require additional support for his orher arms and wrist, the user may position a supporting pad, not shown onthe supporting surface 12 under the wrist and forearms of the user. Oncethe user has properly positioned his or her arms, wrists, hands andfingers, conventional touch typing strokes may be executed for producingwritten textual material.

Considering now row A of the left side grouping 14 in greater detailwith reference to FIG. 1, row A consists of six (6) keys 100-105 whichare equally spaced apart. Row A is disposed in a parallel spaced apartmanner adjacent to a left top edge 13A (FIG. 5) of the housing unit 13.Each of the keys 100-105 in row A are substantially identical in sizeand shape and are distinguished from one another by the indicia which isdisposed on the top surface of each key.

Key 100 has its left most edge aligned along the phantom line, shown asline 40 (FIG. 5) which defines the left peripheral edge of the grouping14. In this regard, the left most edge of keys 100, 106, 112, 118 and124 are aligned against this phantom line 40.

Considering now row B of the left grouping 14 in greater detail withreference to FIG. 1, row B consist of six keys 106-111. Keys 106-111 areequally spaced apart from one another and are substantially identical insize and shape except for key 106. Key 106 is approximately the width of11/2 of the other standard size keys in row A and functions as a controlkey. Each of the keys 107-111 are distinguished one from another by theindicia which is disposed on the top surface of each key. Key 106 isdisposed below keys 100 and 101 causing keys 107 to 111 to be staggeredor shifted slightly to the right of keys 101 to 105. In this regard, therelationship between keys 101 to 105 and keys 107 to 111 enablesfamiliar touch typing techniques to be used.

Considering now row C of the left grouping 14 in greater detail withreference to FIG. 1, row C consists of six keys 112 to 117. Keys 113 to117 are spaced apart from one another and are substantially identical insize and shape. Key 112 is slightly larger than key 106 causing the keys113 to 117 to be shifted or staggered slightly to the right of keys 107to 111. Keys 113 to 117 are distinguishable from one another by theindicia which it disposed on the top surface of each key.

Considering now row D of the left side group 14 in greater detail withreference to FIG. 1, row D consists of six keys, 118-123 which areequally spaced apart. Keys 119 through 123 are substantially identicalin size and shape and are distinguishable from one another by theindicia which is disposed on the top surface of each key. Key 118 isapproximately twice the width of the other keys in row D. Key 123 hasits right most edge aligned substantially along the phantom line 42,which defines the right peripheral edge of the grouping 14 as shown inFIG. 5.

Considering now row E of the left grouping 14 in greater detail withreference to FIG. 1, row E consists of three keys 124 to 126. Keys 124and 126 are substantially identical in size and shape and key 125 issubstantially similar in size and shape to key 100. Each of the keys 125and 127 is distinguishable from one another by the indicia which isdisposed on the top surface of each key.

Considering now the right side grouping 16 of the character keys ingreater detail with reference to FIG. 1, the right side grouping 16consists of 32 character keys 127-158 which are arranged in five spacedapart horizonal rows A' to E'. The configuration or arrangement of thekeys 127 to 158 are substantially similar to part of a conventionalQWERTY keyboard layout as will be explained hereinafter in greaterdetail. In this regard, the staggered rows and columns enable the userto employ standard QWERTY keyboard touch typing keystrokes without theneed of learning new key positions. This arrangement helps a keyboardistmaintain his or her touch typing speed with reduced stress. Thus, suchan arrangement helps to facilitate greater typing efficiencies and moreparticularly typing speeds.

Considering now row A' of the right side grouping 16 in greater detailwith reference to FIG. 1, row A' consists of eight (8) keys 127 to 134which are equally spaced apart. Row A' is disposed in a parallel spacedapart manner adjacent to a top right edge 13B of the housing unit 13.Each of the keys 127-134 in row A' are substantially identical in sizeand shape with the exception of key 134. Keys 127 to 133 aredistinguished from one another by the indicia which is disposed on thetop surface of each key. Key 134 which is disposed at the right end ofrow A' and adjacent to key 133, is approximately one and one half thewidth of any of the other keys in row A', such as key 133 andsubstantially the same height. Key 134 has its upper most edge alignedalong the phantom line shown as line 47 which defines the top peripheraledge of grouping 16. Key 134 has its right edge aligned along thephantom line 41. In this regard the right edge of keys 134, 142, 149,155 and 158 are all aligned against the phantom line 41.

Considering now row B' of the right side grouping 16 in greater detailto FIG. 1, row B' consists of eight keys 135 to 142 which are equallyspaced apart. Keys 135 to 142 are substantially identical in size andshape. Each of the keys 135 to 142 are distinguishable one from anotherby the character indicia which is disposed on the top surface of eachkey. As key 134 is approximately one and one half times wider than anyone of the keep in row A', the character keys 135-142 in row B'are'staggered to the right of the character keys 127-133 in row A'.

Considering now row C' of the grouping 16 in greater detail withreference to FIG. 1, row C' consists of seven keys 143 to 148 and key149. Keys 143 to 148 are equally spaced apart and are substantiallyidentical in size and shape and are distinguishable from one another bythe indicia which is disposed on the top surface of each key. The key149 is approximately the width of two of the character keys in row B'.In this regard, the keys 143-148 in row C' are shifted or staggered tothe right of keys 135-140 in row B'.

Considering now row D' of the right side grouping 16 in greater detailwith reference to FIG. 1, row D' consists of six keys 150 to 155 whichare equally spaced apart. Keys 150 to 154 are substantially identical insize and shape and are distinguishable from one another by indicia whichis disposed on the top surface of each key. Key 155 is elongated inshape and is slightly wider than key 149. In this regard, the keys150-154 in row D' are shifted or stagger slightly to the right of keys143-147 in Row C'.

Considering now row E' of the right grouping 16 in greater detail withreference to FIG. 1, row E' consists of three keys 156 to 158. Keys 156to 158 are equally spaced apart, and are substantially identical in sizeand shape. The keys 156 to 158 are distinguishable from one another byindicia which is disposed on, the top surface of each key.

As best seen in FIG. 5, the housing 13 includes a left front edgeportion 13E and a right front edge portion 13F. The left front edgeportion 13E and the right front edge portion 13F converge together at anapex defined by an angle φ, where the angle φ is substantial identicalto the angle γ.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 3 and 4,there is shown another keyboard apparatus 300 which is constructed inaccordance with the present invention and which is shown in operativeposition with a support unit 302 for helping to support the keyboardapparatus 300 as well as the wrists and arms of a user (not shown). Thesupport unit 302 is also constructed according to the present invention.

Considering now the keyboard apparatus 300 in greater detail withreference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the apparatus 300 generally comprises ahousing 313 which is adapted to be positioned on a generally flatstationary surface such as a surface 312. The apparatus 300 includes apair of angularly disposed, generally rectangular groupings of characterkeys shown generally at 317, disposed intermediate a pair of left andright numerical keyboard pads 330 and 360 respectively. The grouping 317is generally V-shaped and includes, a left side grouping and a rightside grouping, shown generally at 314 and 316 respectively. Thegroupings 314 and 316 are configured and arranged in a similar manner tothe groupings 14 and 16 of the keyboard apparatus 10 as shown in FIG. 1,and will not be further described. The apparatus 300 also includes a rowof dedicated key 318A, 318B, 318C and 318D for causing dedicatedfunctions codes to be produced, such as cursor movement functions ascontrolled by the cross-shaped key 318C.

In operation, the keyboard apparatus 300 operates in a similar manner tothe apparatus 10 as herein before described. Apparatus 300 includes thepads 330 and 360 which each include a group of special function keyssuch as key 330-1 and numeric keys, such as numeric key 360-1respectively. In this regard, whenever a user depresses one of thespecial function keys, such as special function key 330-1, an electricalsignal is generated by the keyboard electronics (not shown), whichsignal is indicative of a character code based on the ASCII codes.

Considering now the housing 313 in greater detail with reference to FIG.3, the housing 313 is generally pentagonally shaped, and generallycomprises a rear rectangularly shaped portion 320 and a triangularlyshaped portion 321 to form a pentagonally shaped top surface. The keypads 330 and 360 are disposed at portion 320, while the grouping 317 isdisposed partially in portion 320 and partially in portion 321.

As best seen in FIG. 3, the rectangular portion 320 includes a left endedge 322 and a right end edge 324. The portion 320 also includes aV-shaped front edge 326 extending between the left edge 322 and theright edge 324.

The portion 326 includes a pair of front edges 323 and 325 extendingfrom end edge 322 and 324 respectively, and converge at an apex. Theedges 323 and 325 are disposed at an angle φ. The angle φ is betweenabout 154° and about 144°. A more preferred angle φ is between about149° and about 144°. A most preferred angle φ is about 149°.

Considering now the keyboard pad 330 in greater detail with reference toFIG. 3, the keyboard pad 330 is a functional keyboard pad and isconfigured in a generally rectangular shape. The pad 330 comprises agroup of 20 function keys, such as keys 330-1 and 330-4. The keys of thepad 330 are all substantially identical in size and shape, and aredistinguishable from one another by character indicia disposed on thetop surface of the keys.

The keys of the pad 330 are arranged in five straight longitudinal rows,and four transverse columns to define a five key by four key matrix.

Considering now the pad 360 in greater detail with reference to FIG. 3,the pad 360 is a numeric keyboard pad and is configured in a generallyrectangular shape. The pad 360 includes a group of 18 substantiallyidentical keys 360-1 to 360-16 and two larger keys 360-17 and 360-18respectively. Keys 360-17 and 360-18 are substantially identical in sizeand shape, and are disposed at right angles relative to one another.Keys 360-1 to 360-16 are distinguishable from one another also byindicia disposed on the top surface of each respective key. The numerickeyboard pad 360 is arranged in five straight rows, and four columns.

Considering now the cradle 302 in greater detail with reference to FIGS.3 and 4, the cradle 302 includes a wedged shaped base 306 having a rearupwardly projecting wall or lip 307 terminating in an edge 309, forconfining the keyboard 300 on its upper sloping surface 303 of thecradle 302.

The base 306, is generally rectangular in configuration sloping upwardlyfrom the rear wall 307 toward a user terminating in a stop portion orinternal shoulder 308, canted rearwardly at an angle that issubstantially parallel with the upwardly projecting wall 307. The stop308 cooperates with the wall 307 and surface 303 to define a receivingarea or well, for the keyboard 300. In this regard, when the keyboard300 is placed in the receiving area between the wall 307 and the stop308, the top surface of the keyboard is caused to be supported frombelow on the base 306, in a plane disposed at an angle β relative to theplane of the surface 312 supporting the cradle 302. The angle β is about0° to 10°. A more preferred angle β is between about 5° to about 10°;and a most preferred angle is about 10°.

As best seen in FIG. 4, the cradle 302 enables the keyboard 300 to resttherein, with the keys being disposed in a generally downwardly inclinedposition, from front to rear. In such a position, the hands extenddownwardly over the keyboard in a generally unstressed manner. Thus, thecradle helps to prevent repetitive stress injuries. The angle β achievesthis result. Moreover, for the same purpose, the cradle 302 enables theuser to rest the hands and wrists thereon during keyboard entry.

The cradle 302 also includes a front enlarged block portion 310integrally connected to base portion 306, for providing a restingsurface for the wrists and hands of a user. The base and block portions306 and 310 are composed of a suitable material that may be easilymolded into the general shape of the cradle. Such materials includestyrofoam, and other suitable thermoplastic materials, such aspolyurethane.

In order to provide the user with a relatively soft surface upon whichto rest his or her wrists and hands, the cradle 302 also includes apadded V-shaped portion 311. The padded portion 311 is a flat sheet andhas a pair of spaced apart parallel end walls 341 and 342 (FIG. 3). Thepadded portion 310 also includes a pair of spaced apart parallelV-shaped front and rear edges 343 and 344 where the rear edge 344 isconformed to a shape complementary to the front edge of the keyboardhousing 313.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 6 thereof,there is shown an ergonomic keyboard apparatus 610, which is constructedin accordance to the present invention and which is illustratedpositioned on a stationary surface; such as a work station surface 612.The keyboard apparatus 610 is substantially the same as keyboardapparatus 10 except that the numeric key for the number six is disposedadjacent to the numeric key for the number five.

The keyboard apparatus 610 generally comprises a housing unit 513 whichis adapted for positioning on the surface 612. The keyboard apparatus610 also includes a set of character keys projecting upwardly from aface plate 518.

The character keys are arranged in spaced apart key groupings 514 and516 where each grouping includes a large set of discrete character keysfor producing and controlling the entry of alphanumeric characters intoa computer or other such equipment (not shown). As will be explainedhereinafter in greater detail, the two groupings 514 and 516 aredisposed at an angle θ relative to one another, as indicated in FIG. 6relieve physical stress of the user.

As best seen in FIG. 6, the key groupings 514 and 516 are coplanar andcompletely spaced apart by a space 515 having an irregular shape as willbe described hereinafter in greater detail.

The shape of the space 515 is so arranged to help an experienced touchtypist utilize keyboard apparatus 610 with substantially the same touchtyping keystroke techniques as he or she would use on a conventionalQWERTY type keyboard arrangement. In this regard, the space 515 betweenthe key groups 514 and 516 is sufficiently wide to facilitate theactuation of the keys in a touch typing manner. Also they are not so farapart as to cause repetitive injuries to the wrist by forcing the userto lock or bend the wrist toward one another. However, the space 515between the key groups. 514 and 516 is not so close as to interfere withthe activation of the individual keys in a touch typing procedure. Inshort, the spacing 515 facilitates conventional touch typing techniquesby causing the key groups 514 and 516 to be sufficiently widely spacedapart to position the wrists of the user in a desired relation, andtends to prevent repetitive injuries by helping the wrist of the use toremain straight during actuation of the keyboard.

Considering now the space 515 in greater detail with reference to FIG.6, the space 515 is generally pentangular in shape having an imaginaryright boundary portion 520 defined by the left hand end edge of theright hand character key group 516, and imaginary left boundary portion521 defined by the right hand end edge of the left hand character keygroup 514, an imaginary bottom boundary portion 522 defined by the topend edge of the central portion of the space bar key 559 and animaginary top boundary portion 523 defined by an imaginary lineextending between the upper right hand end edge corner of the characterkey group 514 and the upper left hand end edge corner of character keygroup 516.

Considering now the imaginary right hand boundary portion 520 of theirregular space 515 in greater detail with reference to FIG. 6, theright boundary portion 520 is staggered and forms a step shapedconfiguration. The step shaped configuration is complementary shaped tothe left boundary portion 521.

As best seen in FIG. 6, the right boundary portion 520 includes a bottomportion 525, a pair of L-shaped step portions 526, 527 and a reverseL-shaped step portion 528. The bottom portion 525 abuts the space barkey 559 at about 90° and extends upwardly therefrom from the lower lefthand end edge corner of the N key terminating at about the mid point ofthe bottom end edge of the H key.

Considering now the step portion 526 in greater detail, the step portion526 is generally L-shaped having a bottom leg member 526A and a left legmember 526B. The step portion 526 is stepped leftward away from thebottom portion 525 toward the left character key group 514. The bottomleg member 526A abuts the left leg member 526B at about 90° and extendsleftward from the top left end edge corner of the N key to the bottomleft hand end edge corner of the H key. The left leg member 526B extendsbetween the bottom left hand end edge corner of the H key to the topleft hand end edge corner of the H key.

Considering now the step portion 527 in greater detail, the step portion527 is generally L-shaped having a bottom leg member 527A and a left legmember 527B. The step portion 527 is stepped leftward away from the leftleg member 526A toward the character key group 514. The bottom legmember 527A abuts the left leg member 527B at about 90° and extendsleftward from the top left hand end edge corner of the H key to thebottom left hand end edge corner of the Y key. The left leg member 527Bextends between the bottom left hand end edge corner of the Y key to thetop left hand end edge corner of the Y key.

Considering now the complementary L-shaped step portion 528 in greaterdetail, the portion 528 includes a bottom leg member 528A and a rightleg member 528B. The step portion 528 is stepped away from the leftcharacter key group 514. The bottom leg member 528A abuts the right legmember 528B at about 90° and extends between the upper left hand endedge corner of the Y key to the bottom left hand end edge corner of the7 key. The right leg member 528B extends between the bottom left handend edge corner of the 7 key to the upper left hand end edge of the 7key.

Considering now the left boundary portion 521 of the irregular space 515in greater detail, the left boundary portion 521 generally includes atop portion 529, a bottom portion 532 and two stepped portion 530-531.

Considering now the top portion 529, the top portion 529 is configuredin a reverse L shape having right leg member 529A and a bottom legmember 529B. The right leg member 529A abuts the bottom leg member 529Bat about 90° and extends between the top right hand end edge corner ofthe 6 key to the bottom right hand end edge corner of the 6 key. Thebottom leg member 529B extends between the bottom right hand end edgecorner of the 6 key and the top right hand end edge corner of the T key.

Considering now the step portion 530, the step portion 530 is generallyL-shaped having a left leg member 530A and a bottom leg member 530B. Theleft leg member 530A abuts the bottom leg member 530B at about 90° andextends between the top right hand end edge corner of the T key to thebottom right hand end edge corner of the T key. The bottom leg member530B extends rightwardly from the member 530A between the bottom righthand end edge corner of the T key to the top right hand end edge cornerof the G key.

Considering now the step portion 531 in greater detail, the step portion531 is generally L-shaped having left leg member 531A and a bottom legmember 531B. The left leg member 531A abuts the bottom leg member 531Bat about 90° and extends between the top right hand end edge corner ofthe G key to the bottom right hand end edge corner of the G key. Thebottom leg member 531B extends rightwardly from the member 531A betweenthe bottom right hand end edge corner of the G key to the top right handend edge corner of the B key.

Considering now the bottom member 532 in greater detail, the bottommember 532 is a straight member which extends between the top right handend edge corner of the B key and the bottom right hand end edge cornerof the B key. The bottom member 532 abuts the space bar key 559 at about90°.

Considering now the left boundary portion 521 in still greater detail,the left boundary portion 521, the step portion 531 extends rightwardlytoward the right character group 516 to a greater extent than the stepportion 530. In this regard, the right hand end edge of the T key isdisposed more leftwardly than the right hand end edge of the G key. Thestep portion 530 and 531 are also complementary to the step portion 527and 526 respectively.

Considering now the top boundary portion 523 of the irregular space 515in greater detail, the top boundary portion 523 is generally defined byan imaginary line extending between the top right hand end edge cornerof the 6 key to the top left hand end edge corner of the 7 key. Thelength of the imaginary line is about 0.9 times the width D of a typicalone of the alphanumeric keys, such as the alpha number key for thenumeric 1. In this regard, the spacing between the top right hand topcorner of the 7 key and the left hand top corner of the 6 key is betweenabout 0.9 D to about 0.3 D. A more preferred spacing is between about0.8 D to about 0.4 D. The most preferred spacing is 0.5 D.

Considering now the bottom boundary portion 522 of the irregular space515 in greater detail with reference to FIG. 6, the bottom boundaryportion 522 is generally V-shaped and includes a right and portion 522Aand a left hand portion 522B. The right hand portion 522A and the lefthand portion 522B are disposed at about an angle γ relative to oneanother. The right hand portion 523A extends from the bottom left handend edge corner of the N key to the top central point of the space barkey 559. The left hand portion 522B extends from the top central pointof the space bar key 559 to the bottom right hand end edge corner of theB key.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed, it is to be understood that various different modificationsare possible and are contemplated within the true spirit and scope ofthe appended claims. There is no intention, therefore, of limitation tothe exact abstract or disclosure herein presented.

What is claimed is:
 1. A keyboard apparatus, comprising:a housing; aplurality of alpha-numeric key means mounted on the housing arranged ina plurality of V-shaped rows;said plurality of alpha-numeric key meansbeing arranged in a QWERTY configuration to facilitate conventionalQWERTY keystroke techniques; said plurality of alpha-numeric key meansbeing further arranged in a pair of character key groups alignedrelative to one another in a generally V-shaped configuration relativeto a centrally disposed axis to be aligned generally with the user; saidplurality of alpha-numeric key means including a right group of QWERTYkey means arranged in rows and staggered columns to facilitate theiractuation in a rapid and accurate manner utilizing known andsubstantially conventional right hand digit QWERTY keystrokes, saidright group having a left end group of keys arranged in a column withQWERTY character indicia configured in the letters Y, H and N,respectively, to help facilitate a user in using his or her right handdigits to reach to the last mentioned QWERTY characters in aconventional QWERTY right hand digit touch typing keystroke technique;said plurality of alpha-numeric key means further including a left groupof QWERTY key means arranged in rows and staggered columns to facilitatetheir actuation in rapid and accurate manner utilizing known andsubstantially conventional left hand digit QWERTY keystrokes, said leftgroup having a right end group of keys arranged in a column with QWERTYcharacter indicia configured in the letters T, G and B, respectively, tohelp facilitate a user in using his or her left hand digits to reach thelast mentioned QWERTY characters in a conventional QWERTY left handdigit touch typing keystroke technique; means defining a space betweensaid right hand group of QWERTY key means and said left hand group ofQWERTY key means, said space being sufficiently large to substantiallyprevent interference between right hand and left hand digits keystrokesand sufficiently widely spaced apart to position the hands of the userin co-extending alignment with their respective wrists for enabling thefingers of the user to rest comfortably on their normal QWERTY startingposition keys for touch typing purposes; a left group of function keysarranged in a row adjacent to the left group of QWERTY key means tofacilitate control key actuation by left hand digits; a right group offunction keys arranged in a row adjacent to the right group of QWERTYkey means to facilitate actuation by right hand digits; common space barmeans extending between said right and left groups of function keys tohelp form a row extending generally in a V-shape adjacent to the rightand left QWERTY key means with said space bar means having its endportions disposed opposite at least one right and left QWERTY key meansfor facilitating the actuation of said common space bar means by theright and left thumbs of a user;said right group of function keysdisposed adjacent to a terminal end of said common space bar key meansto facilitate the entry of at least one ASCII code indicative of controlinformation using right hand touch typing keystroke techniques; saidleft group of function keys disposed in a single row and adjacent toanother terminal end of said common space bar key means to facilitatethe entry of at least another ASCII code; said column of the right endgroup of keys being staggered rightwardly to further help facilitateusing the conventional QWERTY left hand digit touch typing keystroketechnique wherein the QWERTY key means bearing the letter B is staggeredsubstantially rightwardly of the QWERTY key means bearing the letter Gand wherein the QWERTY key means bearing the letter G is staggeredsubstantially rightwardly of the QWERTY key means bearing the letter T;said left group of QWERTY key means having a top row of alpha keysbearing QWERTY character indicia configured in the letters Q, W, E, R,T, respectively, an intermediate row of alpha keys bearing QWERTYcharacter indicia configured in the letters A, S, D, F, G, respectively,and a bottom row of alpha keys bearing QWERTY character indiciaconfigured in the letters Z, X, C, V, B, respectively, to helpfacilitate the identification of the QWERTY characters, Q, W, E, R, T,A, S, D, F, G, Z, X, C, V and B, for entry by the conventional QWERTYleft hand digit touch typing keystroke technique; said alpha keys in thebottom row bearing the letters Z, X, C, V and B, respectively, beingstaggered substantially rightwardly of said alpha keys in theintermediate row bearing the letters A, S, D, F and G, respectively, tofurther help facilitate entry of QWERTY characters by the conventionalQWERTY left hand digit touch typing keystroke technique; said alpha keysin the intermediate row bearing the letters A, S, D, F, G, respectively,being staggered substantially rightwardly of said alpha keys in the toprow bearing the letters Q, W, E, R and T, respectively, to further helpfacilitate the entry of QWERTY characters by the conventional QWERTYleft hand digit touch typing keystroke technique; numeric keypad meanson the housing spaced apart rightwardly from said plurality ofalpha-numeric key means and said right group of function key means tofacilitate the entry of ASCII codes indicative of numeric information,said numeric key pad means having a central axis oriented generallyparallel to the central axis of the V-shaped character key groups toalign said numeric key pad means relative to the user; andsaid left endgroup of keys and said right end group of keys being spaced apart fromone another, and being configured relative to one another so said columnbearing the letters Y, H and N is substantially parallel with saidcolumn bearing the letters T, G, B to further facilitate actuation ofthe keys in the left group column and the keys in the right group columnutilizing known and substantially conventional left hand digit and righthand digit QWERTY keystrokes respectively.
 2. A keyboard constructionaccording to claim 1, further comprising:at least another group ofcomputer control key means on the housing spaced apart from saidplurality of alpha-numeric key means arranged in columns and rows tofurther facilitate the entry of computer control information.
 3. Akeyboard construction according to claim 1, wherein said housingincludes a front portion and a rear portion, said rear portion having atop back edge and said front portion having a front edge in asubstantially lower horizontal plane then said top back edge of saidrear portion to enable a user to have easy access to said plurality ofalpha-numeric key means.
 4. A keyboard construction according to claim3, further comprising:wrist leveling means disposed forwardly of saidplurality of alpha-numeric key means for defining a resting surface tosupport from below the hands and wrists of a user and for raising saidfront portion to help a user maintain his or her wrists in asubstantially straight position relative to the hands of the user.
 5. Akeyboard construction, comprising:a housing having a front portion and arear portion; a plurality of alpha-numeric key means mounted on thehousing arranged in a plurality of V-shaped rows, the plurality ofalpha-numeric key means being arranged in a QWERTY configuration tofacilitate conventional QWERTY keystroke techniques;said plurality ofalpha-numeric key means including a right group of QWERTY key meansarranged in rows and staggered columns, said right group having a leftend group of keys arranged in a column with QWERTY character indiciaconfigured in the letters Y, H and N, respectively, to help facilitate auser in using his or her right hand digits to reach to the lastmentioned QWERTY characters in a conventional QWERTY right hand digittouch typing keystroke technique; said plurality of alpha-numeric keymeans further including a left group of QWERTY key means arranged inrows and staggered columns, said left group having a right end group ofkeys arranged in a column with QWERTY character indicia configured inthe letters T, G and B, respectively, to help facilitate a user in usinghis or her left hand digits to reach the last mentioned QWERTYcharacters in a conventional QWERTY left hand digit touch typingkeystroke technique; means defining a space between said right group ofQWERTY key means and said left group of QWERTY key means, said spacebeing sufficiently large to substantially prevent interference betweenright hand and left hand digits keystrokes and sufficiently widelyspaced apart to position the hands of the user in co-extending alignmentwith their respective wrists for enabling the fingers of the user torest comfortably on their normal QWERTY starting position keys for touchtyping purposes; wrist support means disposed at about the front portionof said housing for defining a resting surface to support from below thehands and wrists of a user; and wrist leveling means disposed beneathsaid support means for positioning said housing front portion in araised position to help a user maintain his or her wrists in asubstantially straight position relative to the hands of the user.
 6. Akeyboard construction according to claim 5, further comprising:saidright group of QWERTY key means and said left group of QWERTY key meanshaving a right base perimeter and a left base perimeter respectively; atleast one group of function key means on the housing adjacent to saidplurality of alpha-numeric key means to help facilitate the entry ofcomputer control information using touch typing keystroke techniques;said at least one group of function key means including a right group offunction keys arranged in a row at about said right base perimeter ofthe right group of QWERTY key means having QWERTY character indiciaconfigured in the letters N and M, respectively, to facilitate actuationby right hand digits; and said at least one group of function key meansfurther including a left group of function keys arranged in a row atabout said left base perimeter of the left group of QWERTY key meanshaving QWERTY character indicia configured in at least the letters Z, Xand C, respectively, to facilitate actuation by left hand digits.
 7. Akeyboard construction according to claim 6, further comprising:at leastanother group of function key means on the housing spaced apart fromsaid plurality of alpha-numeric key means arranged in columns and rowsto further facilitate the entry of computer control information.
 8. Akeyboard construction according to claim 5, further comprising:commonkey means having a right side portion disposed adjacent to said rightgroup of function keys and a left side portion disposed adjacent to saidleft group of function keys to facilitate the actuation of said commonkey means by the right and left thumbs of a user;wherein theconfiguration of the left group of QWERTY key means, the left group offunction keys, the right group of QWERTY key means, and the right groupof function keys relative to one another enable known and conventionaltouch typing keystroke techniques to be utilized for entry of bothQWERTY alpha-numeric information and computer control informationwithout causing substantial physiological stress to the fingers, wristsand forearms of the user.
 9. A keyboard apparatus according to claim 6,wherein said at least one group of function key means includes ASCIIcode key means for the entry of ASCII codes, said ASCII codes includingdedicated function codes.
 10. A keyboard apparatus according to claim 9,wherein said ASCII code key means includes cursor control key means forcontrolling the movement of a computer generated cursor.
 11. A keyboardapparatus according to claim 7, wherein said at least another group offunction key means includes other ASCII code key means for the entry ofother ASCII codes, said other ASCII codes including other dedicatedfunction codes.